I was suprised that I didn't hate the film, because I really loved the books and thought they would totally ruin them. The edits to the film were not as bad as I had expected, but I agree that leaving out the final scene was sacrelige! Seeing Azrael rip apart the fabric of space and open a door to another world is so much more dramatic than having a bunch of people throwing CG effects at each other.

I think it's inevitable that they removed some of the moral ambiguity and darker scenes, as it seemed that they were really trying to market it as a "family film". It's a pity though, because that was precisely what made the books so interesting: the criticism of the church, the bleak view of human nature and its complexity.